I had the same disappointment visiting Madison, specifically to shop at B-Side just last week. While I only get there 2-3 times a year at most, it is the only music store in Wisconsin I've relied on to browse for unusual releases of various genres. With some holiday gift money burning a hole in my pocket, I had hoped to pick up the new Braxton Trio on Victo or some other tasty disk, but came home empty handed and immediately went internet shopping. It's just not the same.

But this situation is not just restricted to music. I didn't find one book that needed to come home with me on that trip either.

"Wave of the future dude, 100% e-lec-tronic"

-Jackie Treehorn

"You are entering a world of pain."
- Walter Sobchak

"What?"

- Thomas Pynchon

Sorry to hear about the about-face at B-Side. I lived in Madison from ’98-’01 and it was a regular State Street haunt for me along w/ Exclusive Company. Ralph, the then-proprietor, even had a hand in staking some of the improv shows that I helped book through the Madison Music Collective. I always loved the cozy shoebox flavor of the joint, with practically every square inch of wall space taken up by rows & rows of handpicked discs.

Here in Minneapolis, we still have Roadrunner, Electric Fetus and several outlets of the Cheapo chain. For vinyl, there’s also Hymie’s though the stock there has been kinda stagnant for awhile. Times is hard for the record shop owner & they’re only gonna get harder.

Derek, was that you that booked Butcher & Hemingway at that art gallery out on East Johnson? I remember when those shows were happening.

Jackie Treehorn treats objects like WOMEN.

Jacob, I had a small hand in it, but that one was mainly the brainchild of Scott Fields and Jon Morgan (of Meniscus). The shows I booked through the MMC included: Assif Tsahar & Susie Ibarra, Jemeel Moondoc & William Parker, Marilyn Crispell, Matthew Goodheart, and The Jazz Doctors (Billy Bang, Frank Lowe & Abbey Rader). Great times!

And here’s my contribution to the ongoing Lebowski lexicon:

“Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!”

~ The Dude

There were many helpers on the series at the Wendy Cooper Gallery, on Madison's east side, but Jon Morgan wasn't one of them. His only activity in Madison that I know of was to visit once to interview me and another time to hang around one of my large ensemble projects (96 Gestures) with the goal of writing about it. Neither article panned out.

He is still receiving a punch in the nose next time I see him, but on a unrelated matter.

Scott

There were many helpers on the series at the Wendy Cooper Gallery

Indeed. The shows I booked were at the Grace Chosy Gallery, The Spotlight Room and that Unitarian Church near the UW, but none of them would’ve have been possible without grant support secured through the MMC. Guess my memory’s faulty on Jon’s involvement though. I was under the impression that he drove Butcher to the gig from Minneapolis and had a hand in putting it together as well. Oddly enough, he and I work for the same organization now, so I’ll let him know he’s got a punch to the proboscis coming.

Scott, do you know if the MMC is still producing shows?

Last I heard some of the MMC's founders were thinking of restarting the organization. If they do, I would expect a move toward the musical middle.

The John Butcher gig with Scott Fields and the Butcher-Hemingway duo, both at Wendy Cooper's place, were organized by me. The Butcher-Hemingway duo playing with film at the university's movie theater was organized by a student, although I think I was the contact between the student (let's call him Spencer) and Gerry.

It would be better if you were to punch Jon for me, since you probably don't hit as hard as I do.

This is turning into he said, she said, though I do recall advising Spencer about logistics on the theater gig. As to any pugilism by proxy, I’m a lover not a fighter & Jon’s a friend. And as to whether you hit harder, neither of us holds a candle to the whallop Hugh Jarrid is purported to pack.

For the record, the trip Derek referred to was actually a John Butcher solo tour, in which he played in Minneapolis, Milwaukee and in duo with Scott in Madison.

I'm not certain which is more sad Scott, the fact that you don't trust your improvisational acumen enough that even displays of violence have to be predetermined or that you are still upset about 3 promo discs sent at least 6 years ago. You might consider putting each act of assault on cue cards to pull out of a hat in attempt to spruce it up a bit (card one for hair pulling, card two for grabbing the undercarriage, card three can consist of making someone listen to your contribution to the trio recording with Lee & van der schyff, etcetera). Although, maybe scraping a knuckle or two on my face might might give you a more distinct affect, kind of like what polio did for Horace Parlan's touch.

In my days of breaking promises on how I chose to invest my free time and income, otherwise known as the Meniscus years, I sent out hundreds of promos that did not end up being written about or played on the radio. While, Meniscus admittedly does not reward repeated listening like the Geode back catalog, I don't remember busting out crying every time someone failed to come through on a promise to write up or spin my discs.

On the subject of promises, I'm fully aware that unpopular decisions were made about cancelled releases over the lifespan of Meniscus, but I'm proud of the fact that none of the artists found on the 12 releases were ever ripped off, or to my knowledge dissatisfied with the end product. Several of the cancelled releases found a home on other labels anyway, and others certainly should have. Dan's trio recording for example is absolutely phenomenal, and I wish someone would put it out, and am still surprised nobody has, even if it has to be self-released.

Is it not be better to throw in the towel when you feel your heart isn't into it anymore, or if you don't feel you can give the music the time and energy it deserves? Is it better to half-ass it or go through the motions? Scott, you are probably a more appropriate source to discuss this point, from the standpoint of having exiled yourself for several years before re-emerging in the early nineties, or perhaps you could use some of your recent work to dissect the latter point.

As far as the articles that didn't materialize, I attempted to get magazines to bite on pieces about Scott for several years, but stories about young lions or artists cheating the bone yard for another year or two are a better sell than material on musicians battling aspergers. By the time a magazine was interested, writing an intriguing article about my subject seemed about as daunting as finding redeeming qualities in Costner's Waterworld. It was easier to cut my losses. Move on already.

The dude abides.
Jon

Actually none of this stuff Jon is blabbing about has anything to do with the owed nose punch. The debt is related to something else entirely.

In fact, I have no idea what the sources of most of the references are, but those I do recall don't approach nose punch worthiness.

Not to worry about Hugh Jarrid. His signature move is the limp bitch slap. I have felt its sting and if my eyes hadn't been open I wouldn't have known it happened at all.

all the best,

Scott

bagatellen is getting fun again....

Sad, isn't it.

Scott, here's an open invitation to arm wrestle at a date & time of your choosing :) I most likely won't make it to Cologne any time soon, but Berlin is a definite possibility in the not too distant future.

In the meantime, I'll be looking forward to your upcoming projects & maybe you should consider picking up the old soupcan to reconcile things with Jon.

I hereby authorize Derek to give Jon a hug for me. (If he closes his eyes, perhaps just a little bitch slap would be nice.)

How ‘bout a hearty handshake & a congenial cuff about the ears instead?

Nope. He obviously needs the hug and deserves at minimum the slap.

I'm not your man then.

wow, a boring musician and an asshole! getting out without being bullied into a mediocre fields release is reason enough for meniscus to close up shop.

Well, that wasn't it either and I don't recall having ever submitted anything to Meniscus, but thanks for the thought.

Derek, if you ever reconsider the punch work, please include this "Margot" in the assignment.

"Several of the cancelled releases found a home on other labels anyway, and others certainly should have. Dan's trio recording for example is absolutely phenomenal, and I wish someone would put it out, and am still surprised nobody has, even if it has to be self-released."
Nice to hear from you, Jon. Re the abovementioned trio with Frederic Blondy and Martine Altenburger, I asked Fred a couple of years ago if he wanted to put it out and he said he wasn't really interested anymore (Martine had no objections). Maybe he'd feel differently about it now. There'd also be more interest in the disc in the States since he toured there with Ninh last year. So if anyone's still interested (the recordings date from 2000), I'm sitting on the original tapes, and the master's all ready to go to the pressing plant..
Meanwhile, Jon, Fred pops up on a couple of tracks on an album that's due out anyday now on Incunabulum.
The Meniscus catalogue still kicks ass - not a bad release in the bunch. Be proud!

As you know, I really liked that trio session, Dan. I continue to hope someone will release it.

"The Meniscus catalogue still kicks ass - not a bad release in the bunch. Be proud!"

Sure ! I love (and had reviewed, and listen again often) the Lê Quan's "Le Ventre négatif". Butcher's "Music on seven occasions" and The Sealed Knot's "Surface/Plane" are great !
PS : Lê Quan & Blondy are on a new Emanem's "Grosse Abfahrt" to be published...